All my life, I have kept my mind and vision focused on the future. I am no stranger to hardship, but I am not typically one who takes a significant amount of time to think about the challenges of my past. Growing up, I faced and overcame many obstacles. As I continue to grow in my adult life, I have accepted that the obstacles never cease. They come in various depths and sizes, but each one shapes my existence.
I am currently a senior construction project manager at EHRA Engineering, but my journey to get to this point was not what I anticipated. My mother insisted I pursue construction management in college, but at that time, I could not picture myself in the construction industry. Yet I reluctantly agreed to follow the path she desired for me. As each semester came and went, I increasingly struggled with feelings of defeat and disinterest. This mounting struggle made it difficult to excel in my studies and remain committed to this path.
I often wondered how I was going to achieve success in a construction management career if I could barely even make it through the college courses. Luckily, a light broke through my apathy near the end of my college years. To my surprise, I finally developed a genuine interest in the field of construction management.
My college career drew to a close. I graduated and landed my first real job! Part of my new role was to relay to contractors the expectations and deadlines the firm required them to meet. One such contractor was uncooperative, and I remember my boss telling me that I needed to be stern. My only thought was, “How am I going to get this grumpy man to do what I need him to do in a timely manner?” I soon found the answer to this difficult question was determination.
I was a smart, competent individual with the willpower and resolve to move forward, stand my ground, and demonstrate my value to my boss. This required that I step outside my comfort zone and push past my natural tendency to be introverted and reserved. I am a shy woman in an industry dominated by outspoken men, but I decided then and there to never let that reality hinder my ability to succeed. One thing I do well is push myself to get things done!
I now have three kids who are MY WORLD! Over the years, I learned to balance work, kids, school schedules, extracurricular activities, and life in general. Finding and maintaining that balance was overwhelming at times, but in the whirlwind of life, we often don’t have the time to think about the gravity of our situations. Instead, I choose to buckle down and focus on the tasks at hand and strategize how to work through them.
My number one priority is always to be a positive role model for my children. I take every challenge I face as an opportunity to demonstrate by example how to overcome any obstacle. Life will beat anyone down if they allow it. My desire is to inspire my children to take challenges head on and to realize that when they do, they will often be surprised at how much they are capable of achieving.
Hard work, determination, and charging through the barriers is what we all do in our careers every day. My goal is to bring the experiences of my own life into my workplace in a positive way. I approach colleagues with understanding, and my leadership objective is to lead by example. I work with a great team that pushes me as much as I push them, and although this path is not what I originally envisioned for myself, I now feel truly blessed in my career. I cannot wait to see what is still yet to come.
